01.12.2023 – Wind, dolphins and more dolphins!
December 8, 2023
06.12.2023 – Bottlenose Dolphins’ Playful Display in Madeira’s Waters
December 12, 2023
At the moment we often encounter the Short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), which are off the coast of Madeira. Even though they eat various types of fish such as codfish, mackerel and herring, their main source of food is squid. To do this, they have to dive deeper to get to their prey. They prefer hunting at night because the delicious squid comes closer to the surface and Pilot whales don’t have to go down quite as deep. However, if prey is found at daylight, it will not be spurned. In this case the dive can go down to 600-700m. Since Madeira’s coast slopes down quickly, we can observe these deep divers from a distance of about 2 nm from the shore. Today we had a nice, close encounter with a small group of Pilot whales.
A Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) appeared on our way back, but quickly dived. Their diet includes crabs, jellyfish, small fish, algae and sea gras.
Shortly before the harbor we had contact with a school of Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). And what do these big dolphins eat? Small squid, crustaceans, and depending on where they are, various fish, such as mackerel, herring, etc.
Petitions: https://www.lobosonda.com/whale-watching/marine-protection/
by Fatima Kutzschbach
Sightings of the day
Ribeira Brava
09:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins, Loggerhead turtle
Stenella
09:30 Pilot whales, Bottlenose dolphins
